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Photo by Jeff Sanders

What does this phrase mean to you? “Knowing when to say when.”  To most people it is a slogan commonly remembered from an anti-drunk driving advertisement.  Try not to confuse this with Smokey the Bear’s slogan, “Only you can prevent forest fires,” because it takes more than just you to prevent your wasted self from taking another shot of tequila before driving around drunk in search of late night tacos.  But I’m not here to play Officer Jeff.  For our time here let’s think of this slogan in terms of your career, shall we?

Handing Yourself the Pink Slip

Boundaries.  It’s all about boundaries.  In the workplace there are always many expectations of you as the employee.  The formal rules are usually provided in the form of handbooks, legal posters, and boring memos no one reads.  Those rules are typically straight forward and easy to follow.  “Don’t steal, lie, cheat, harass, etc.”  However, it’s the invisible boundaries you have to look out for, things like personal space, “reasonable” expectations, and abuse of power.  Let’s use my fictitious friend Jason as an example.

Jason works for a big toy company and is paid an annual salary, so he is expected to work at least 40 hours or more every week while receiving the same pay regardless.  Jason likes his job and typically works around 40-45 hours every week.  But recently he has found himself working 60 hours or more a week because his boss continually asks him to stay late and work on weekends.  Jason thinks his boss is a complete moron who constantly makes terrible decisions.  However, Jason is willing to overlook his personal feelings if it means he might get a fat x-mas bonus, the promotion he’s been waiting for, some recognition at the next company-wide picnic, or at least a seductive look from the girl in accounting.

At this point Jason has two options:

1. Continue to let his boss treat him like a puppet while working himself into a coma.

OR

2. Confront his boss and, in the most respectable way possible, tell him how mean he is and that being overworked is destroying Jason’s life.

Just for the sake of argument, let’s say Jason lets his emotions get the best of him and he forgets to be polite while choosing the second option.  Jason decides to be extremely honest in hopes that it will make him stand out.  It works, and Jason is promptly fired on the spot.

So, how can you avoid this entire mess Jason got himself into?  You’ll have to stick to the visible and invisible boundaries at all times.  Scenarios just like this one play out every day in the working world and you’ll have to make important decisions more often than you’d like about your behavior.  In other words, you’ll have to pick your battles wisely.  What constitutes appropriate is completely subjective, depending on who dictates whether you can keep your job or not.  So, it’s up to you to decide how honest you want to be.  If you’re feeling self-righteous and want to demand respect from your superiors, I’m on your side.  But, you will face the wrath of those who don’t enjoy being told how bad they are at their job, which will probably put you in Jason’s shoes.  Or, you can suck it up and play the game your superiors expect you to play, smile when your angry, work when your tired, give up your weekends, and inevitably sacrifice your soul.  It’s your choice.

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Don’t forget to check out my new revolutionary eBook for conquering life after college!

The Clueless Graduate,



Jeff Sanders

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